“Yes, there have been discussions about a new contract, but I have told the owners that this is an inappropriate time to conclude any new contract discussions. Instead, the real issue is for me and everyone else to concentrate on the games.

“The fact that the owners have talked to me about a new contract means that they can see what we are building here, and we hope to make others see it too.

“We need to turn the last remaining negatives into positives, and the vast majority of the fans can see that our performances deserve to be six or seven points better off and halfway up the table.”